to protect or ward off injuries.

our ancient laws and statutes, signifies to prohibit or forbid; as Usarios defendit quoque rex Edwardus ne remanerent in regno. I., I., Edw. Conf. cap. 38, In this sense Chaucer also uses the following passage:

Where can you say in any manner, age, That ever God defended marriage.

In 7th Edward I. there is a statute entitled "Statutum de defensione portandi ormi," &c. And "it is defended by law to distrain on the highway."